Taylor Swift doesn't feel Iconic like Gaga

[Pure Adrenaline 1,518]

Patiently waiting for @Spock to enter this thread and scalp ya 

[shaneybaby 450]

She is definitely an icon. Be realistic. She is not an innovator for sure, but iconic to the current generation, 100%  

[VenusBlackStar 1,301]

T-Swift doesn't take many creative risks musically or visually. Making the clean transition to straight up pop doesn't even seem like a risk for her because even when she did country it got more and more pop as the records came out.

She's a fantastic pop star, but to me it's at the expense of her artistry. Her lyrics still slay though.

EDIT: I'll rephrase this so someone doesn't misconstrue what I say and think I'm being mean/defensive about something: She hasn't done the things Gaga has done to be considered iconic to people. Taylor is an icon to others, I'm sure.

[Sunny 12,705]

No lies found 

 

[Jjang 2,262]

Well, if Gaga is going to be further more alienated and mellow in terms of social presence while Taylor continues to substantially build her image consistently then I have no doubt she will surpass Gaga and become a lot more memorable. It will only take a few years. The last time Gaga felt iconic was like 5 years ago anyway     

[DrewStevens 5,249]

Taylor is for sure an icon for this generation but I don't think she has done something iconic yet. Let's be real... people remember Madonna's cone bra and voguing, MJ's glove and dance moves, Gaga's meat dress and crazy performances, Katy's candy dress, Miley's Wrecking Ball video and twerking... Taylor has her ex-boyfriends and her songs about them. Even J Lo's ass is more iconic than her career.

There have been huge artists in the past who almost no one from the new generation knows. Most people under 15 don't know who Mariah Carey is and she was HUGE.

[Didymus 34,379]

Being iconic has nothing to do with taste.

[Didymus 34,379]

honestly i dont think anyone here really understands what iconic means anymore. that definition has become so warped and we've sort of micro-focused in on pop culture and blown things up to make ourselves feel like what we witness now is something amazing when really its not. 

Your posts slaying delusion as usual

[Pop 4,541]

Taylor Swift is not comparable to Gaga because she's a completely different kind of artist and also this is her 5th studio album.

Gaga is a fashion shock ARTPOP performer.

Taylor is a singer-songwriter love song performer.

Each of these two women are talented in their own way and will leave a mark that cannot be erased.

Taylors hit albums will be remembered by the generation that grew up listening to her music for the past decade. She's not famous for her fashion or her shocking performances. She's famous for her music. 

[Phoenix 17,395]

Taylor and Katy are just very successful popstars.  

[Spock 20,290]

I love how y'all are throwing the word "mainstream" as if it were some derogatory insult for an artist and as if Gaga were some sort of super alternative indie Queen.

These comparisons are beyond stupid because they are completely different artists, musically and visually.

Not every artist has to wear a meat dress, drench herself in blood, get puked on, stick prosthetic bones on her face etc and do things that are considered shocking in order to be successful or remembered. And what's more, gasp, not everybody likes it. I like it, I love it, I live for it, but not everybody does.

Taylor plays it safe and maintains a clean image. She wont flash her nipple at the Super Bowl, she won't show her pussay coming out of a car, she isn't going to be a drunken mess. So I guess what I'm asking is, what's the problem? Having a polished, clean brand does not necessarily screams baSIC NOT ICONIC!!!1. She obviously appeals to an entire different demographic. All of the things OP says Gaga is, is because she was different and was put in the spotlight immediately during her debut. It took Taylor five albums to get there.

Taylor has been amassing fans, bringing in the masses at her shows and getting nothing but bigger since 2006. That's a whole lot of people with different ages over an extended period of time. There lies her appeal and the reason she will be remembered for. Relateable, quality music, with enormous appeal to every person of all ages. And that's not a bad thing at all

 

Patiently waiting for @Spock to enter this thread and scalp ya 

[Raikov 183]

@Spock

I know you're a Swift fan, so I'd like to ask you some questions about her music, since I haven't heard all her stuff. Please don't take this as a confrontation or get defensive about it;  I just want your genuine opinion about it,  as someone who has only listened to 1989 and a couple of singles.

Do you think Taylor has been innovative with regards to music or lyrics? Compared to other pop or country singers, is there something identifiably "her" ? For example, Lana has a unique and unmistakable timbre, idiosyncratic lyrics (daddy :derpga:), and her released music tends towards the slow. We can create parodies of Lana songs easily because these elements are strongly associated with her (to the point that some silly fans think singing deep over hip hop beats was invented by Lana). What are the elements associated with Taylor that let people know "oh, Taylor Swift wrote and sang this song"?

Once again, this isn't some "ha! Gotcha!" thing I'm trying to pull. I only know Taylor's pop music and YBWM, so it's not fair for me to generalize her musical output. And don't tell me to just listen to it myself; I actually planned to hear all of Taylor's work through Spotify and got started on Red but... well, you know what happened. Plus I'm not a fan and I want the perspective of someone who genuinely loves her.

[StrawberryBlond 14,087]

Not every artist has to wear a meat dress, drench herself in blood, get puked on, stick prosthetic bones on her face etc and do things that are considered shocking in order to be successful or remembered. And what's more, gasp, not everybody likes it. I like it, I love it, I live for it, but not everybody does.

Taylor plays it safe and maintains a clean image. She wont flash her nipple at the Super Bowl, she won't show her pussay coming out of a car, she isn't going to be a drunken mess. So I guess what I'm asking is, what's the problem? Having a polished, clean brand does not necessarily screams baSIC NOT ICONIC!!!1. She obviously appeals to an entire different demographic. All of the things OP says Gaga is, is because she was different and was put in the spotlight immediately during her debut. It took Taylor five albums to get there.

We're not asking her to do that. This is always the extreme people go to when we say that Taylor never does anything controversial or shakes things up. All we're asking is that she does something that stuns us in a positive way. I think all artists, whether game changers or play-it-safers, should be able to provide a "wow" moment. And that can be as simple as putting out a great, vocally astouding, emotional performance. And I've yet to see one of those from Taylor. There's a lot of artists I don't like but even some of them have provided me with a moment where I understand just for a little while, why certain people love them. Even with my two favourite Taylor songs of all time, Tim McGraw and Wildest Dreams, I still struggle to find perfection. And her live performances leave much to be desired. I just want her to put out a song or perform and have me say "that's perfect." That's what most of us are talking about when we say she has a lack of iconic moments. She just can't give us the "wow" factor.

What are the elements associated with Taylor that let people know "oh, Taylor Swift wrote and sang this song"?

In her early days, some people did parody Taylor songs when she had a different image (the curly haired country girl singing about teenage troubles). There was a great one that parodied Fifteen but it disappeared long ago. Taylor was known for singing songs about boys and not much else. There was even an article made about this with a diagram counting all the times Taylor sung about certain elements. "Boys in trucks" and "references to crying" were the most common lyrical themes (and this was just after her first 2 albums alone). She had a reputation as being a very limited writer, basically. Now she has a new pop image, she's starting all over again. And I don't think her new material is as personal as her old stuff because it's a style that is so common that any pop girl can do. I've listened to all her albums and even though I'm not a fan by any stretch, her old stuff is at least more genuine and I think her debut is her best.

 

[AgusPop 4,064]

No lies detected.

I don't see Taylor sharing a stage (not pictures) or collaborating with Queen, U2, Tony Bennett, Pet Shop Boys, Bruce Sprinting,  Cher, Sting, Sir Elton John.  Receiving praises from Yoko Ono, Julie Andrews , Barbra Streisand, Debbie Harry, Brian May. Liza Minnelli, to  Legendary Rock Bands like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest and Kiss...etc

I don't see Madonna dedicating a song to Taylor and singing her song in 80 concerts and desperately trying to get her attention

I only see delusional haters trying to put down Gaga's achievements and denying her impact. without success.

 

[Kacey Elizabeth 900]

We're not asking her to do that. This is always the extreme people go to when we say that Taylor never does anything controversial or shakes things up. All we're asking is that she does something that stuns us in a positive way. I think all artists, whether game changers or play-it-safers, should be able to provide a "wow" moment. And that can be as simple as putting out a great, vocally astouding, emotional performance. And I've yet to see one of those from Taylor. There's a lot of artists I don't like but even some of them have provided me with a moment where I understand just for a little while, why certain people love them. Even with my two favourite Taylor songs of all time, Tim McGraw and Wildest Dreams, I still struggle to find perfection. And her live performances leave much to be desired. I just want her to put out a song or perform and have me say "that's perfect." That's what most of us are talking about when we say she has a lack of iconic moments. She just can't give us the "wow" factor.

In her early days, some people did parody Taylor songs when she had a different image (the curly haired country girl singing about teenage troubles). There was a great one that parodied Fifteen but it disappeared long ago. Taylor was known for singing songs about boys and not much else. There was even an article made about this with a diagram counting all the times Taylor sung about certain elements. "Boys in trucks" and "references to crying" were the most common lyrical themes (and this was just after her first 2 albums alone). She had a reputation as being a very limited writer, basically. Now she has a new pop image, she's starting all over again. And I don't think her new material is as personal as her old stuff because it's a style that is so common that any pop girl can do. I've listened to all her albums and even though I'm not a fan by any stretch, her old stuff is at least more genuine and I think her debut is her best.

 

 

THIS SCALPED ME! I love you!